A 16-year-old swimmer has conquered a treacherous solo English Channel crossing in support of YoungMinds after battling Force 4 winds and heavy swell.
Felipe Irvine crossed from Samphire Hoe near Dover to Plage du Chatelet in France in 11 hours and 20 minutes on September 14, raising more than £5,900 for the young people’s mental health charity.
The athlete, who had wanted to become a Channel swimmer since he was 12, had to wait until his sweet 16 before attempting the challenge because of strict Channel association rules, and the task proved to be overwhelming.
Speaking to WatfordNews, he said: “I started at 2am, and for the first 3 hours I just wanted to get out, but I kept thinking ‘it will get better when the sun comes up’.
“The sun didn’t shine, but I felt much happier when the waves settled down for a few hours. The wind then picked up as I got closer to France and I had to make sure I didn’t crash into the boat.”
Bad weather had already closed his planned tide window, leaving him with the choice of postponing the attempt for a year or taking on rough conditions, with only four of 12 Channel escort boats initially prepared to go out.
However, Felipe chose to swim – entering the water at 2am after a short tender ride to the stony beach in darkness.
The experienced open-water competitor, who races with the British Long Distance Swimming Association, completed his first three feeds in darkness, taking hot carbohydrate-loaded fluid from a tethered bottle each hour.
He then faced increasingly severe conditions as the tide turned south of Cap Gris-Nez, with the support boat being thrown around by the swell. The tide eventually did carry him north, where the French beach came into sight.
His parents, Wera and Jeremy Irvine, friends Prisha Tapre and Jeffrey Gill, and photographer Paul Meyler were aboard the support boat during the challenge to cheer him on.
Felipe said: “At the finish, I felt joy, exhaustion and relief. If I were to swim it again, it would be for the feeling afterwards and everybody asking, ‘What was it like?’ and ‘How are you feeling now?’ This is something I will never forget.”
So far, the charity has raised more than £5,900 and describes itself as the UK’s leading charity fighting for a world where no young person feels alone with their mental health.
Feature image: Felipe Irvine
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